Leader card for a photographic film and devices for attaching and detaching said card to a photographic film

Abstract

The present invention relates to a leader card with protrusions, which are extended in the counter direction with respect to the transport direction of the leader card with the film attached thereto, said protrusions being provided with traction sections which can be brought into engagement with holes in the leading end of the film. Additionally, the invention relates to an attaching and a detaching device to attach and to detach, respectively, the leader card to and from the film.

What we claim is:  
     
         1 . A leader card for attachment to the leading end of a photographic film comprising a plane leader card body having several traction holes located along the longitudinal sides in transport direction of the leader card and of the film attached thereto, said leader card having a cut-out at the trailing end thereof and at least one protrusion to be brought into connection with the at least one aperture in the leading end of the film, the at least two protrusions are arranged at the leading end of the cut-out, the protrusions being extended in the counter direction with respect to the transport direction, wherein each of the protrusions are provided with a traction section dimensional to overlap with an edge of the aperture formed in the leading end of the film, each of the protrusions being deformable and/or deflectable.  
     
     
         2 . A leader card according to  claim 1 , wherein in that said cut-out is a coupling hole, said coupling hole being provided at the trailing end of said leader card body.  
     
     
         3 . A leader card according to  claim 2 , wherein an insertion hole in that located between the trailing end of the leader card body and the coupling hole is for inserting the leading end of the film to be lead to said coupling hole to be connected to the protrusions.  
     
     
         4 . A leader card according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are leg-shaped.  
     
     
         5 . A leader card according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are spaced apart from each other at least at their leading ends, which are connected to the leader card body.  
     
     
         6 . A leader card according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are formed such that their trailing ends are close together.  
     
     
         7 . A leader card according to  claim 1 , wherein the said traction section or sections are at least roughly arrow-shaped or toughly shaped like to tip of an arrow.  
     
     
         8 . A leader card according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are arranged in pairs forming a particularly arrow-shaped traction section at their trailing ends.  
     
     
         9 . A leader card according to  claim 8 , wherein at least two pairs of protrusions are formed.  
     
     
         10 . A leader card according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions have a guide means at their trailing ends to guide a traction section or sections into the hole in the leading end of the film.  
     
     
         11 . An attaching device for connecting a leading end of a photographic film with at least one hole to a leader card said attaching device including: 
 a holding device for holding said leader card in a particular position;    a transport device for transporting said film and/or said leader card in a transport direction;    a deflecting means for deflecting the protrusion or protrusions of the leader card and/or the film to guide the trailing ends of the protrusions with their traction sections into the hole or holes at the leading end of the film.    
     
     
         12 . An attaching device according to  claim 11 , wherein said deflecting means are arranged such that the protrusions and/or a film are deformed or bent into an angled, tapered or a tilted position with respect to the plane of the leader card body.  
     
     
         13 . An attaching device according to  claim 11 , wherein said holding device includes a base or top section having a guide track for the film for leading the film to a position to be attached to the protrusions of the leader card.  
     
     
         14 . An attaching device according to  claim 13 , wherein said guide track is formed to lead said film through an insertion hole in the leader card body.  
     
     
         15 . An attaching device according to  claim 11 , wherein the holding device includes an advancing portion for deforming the leader card in the vicinity of the insertion hole so that at least one of two bridge members of the insertion hole of the leader card is deformed to be out of the plane of the leader card, so that the photographic film can be moved through the insertion hole by moving the film and/or the leader card.  
     
     
         16 . An attaching device according to  claim 11 , wherein an unloading compartment is arranged, said compartment being light tight or light proof connectable to the attaching device to unload a photographic film from a film cartridge, while said photographic film is still light sensitive.  
     
     
         17 . An attaching device according to  claim 16 , wherein that two or more unloading compartments are arranged for supplying photographic films alternatively therefrom.  
     
     
         18 . An attaching device according to  claim 11 , wherein first pressing or advancing means for pressing or advancing the protrusions of the leader card in a direction such that the protrusions with the traction sections can be more easily introduced in the holes in the leading end of the film.  
     
     
         19 . An attaching device according to  claim 11 , wherein second pressing means for pressing the film in the direction towards the plane of the leader card.  
     
     
         20 . A detaching device for separating a photographic film from a leader card comprising: 
 a detacher holding means for holding the leader card;    a detacher transport device for transporting the leader card and/or a film before and/or after a detaching operation;    a detacher deflecting means for deforming protrusions of the leader card such that traction sections are released from a hole or holes in the leading end of said photographic film.    
     
     
         21 . A detaching device according to  claim 20 , wherein the detacher deflecting means are constructed such that the protrusions are deformed in the counter direction with respect to the extension direction of the traction section.  
     
     
         22 . A detaching device according to  claim 20 , wherein the detacher transport device is controlled to move the film and/or the leader card after the deformation of the protrusions such that the film is detached from the leader card.  
     
     
         23 . A detaching device according to  claim 20 , wherein the detacher deflecting device includes ejector means being ejectable into the plane of the leader card body, said ejector means having a forck-like shape with prongs being formed to be movable such that the protrusions are deformed to release the film.  
     
     
         24 . A detaching device according to  claim 20 , wherein is a switch or selector construction with two guide tracks connected thereto being arranged downstream of the detacher deflecting means one of said guide tracks being for the transport of the film after separation from the cartridge and the other of the guide tracks being for the transport of the detached leader cartridge.